FORT COLLINS — Colorado State on Saturday faces a New Mexico team that is tricky to defend — and now even trickier to prepare for with much of the team gone for Thanksgiving week.

The Rams are practicing with a reduced squad, as coach Jim McElwain allowed many to go home for the week to be with family. True freshmen and those who are redshirting, for the most part, have been excused from this week’s practices.

“This will be the first time they’ve had the opportunity to go,” McElwain said Monday during his weekly news conference. “I think that’s important. That’s part of being a family. That’s part of understanding a young man’s life, the importance of what these holidays mean.”

There are no classes this week so letting some of the players go also saves on some per diem dollars. Still, the dicey part of the situation is prepping for the Lobos. They’ve lost five games in a row but bring a complicated option offense, akin to facing Air Force. Usually, the more bodies a team can have to simulate what it is about to face, the better. CSU won’t have that.

“You’ve got to set your practice time without giving up the reps,” McElwain said, “but we need to do a good job against each other.”

On the subject of New Mexico specifically, McElwain said: “I think (coach) Bob (Davie) has done a great job reshaping the way they think. You can see how hard they play, and that’s a credit to him and what they’ve done there at New Mexico.”

Competition continues at all positions, including quarterback, where senior M.J. McPeek and redshirt freshman Conner Smith will play for the starting job. McPeek won the job last week and started against Boise State. Smith entered the game at the start of the second half.

One player who isn’t going home, though he could have, is injured linebacker James Skelton. The senior Skelton broke an ankle in CSU’s Nov. 10 game against UNLV, effectively ending his season.

Still, he wants to remain around the team in his last week of college football.

“Last week, I came to meetings and stuff,” Skelton said. “I kind of just sat back and kind of watched everything take place. This week, I think I’m going to try to make it out to practice. This is my last week of college football. If I can’t be out there (to play), I might as well be out there for my teammates. I think I’ll just be out there trying to help them. Not necessarily trying to coach them up, but I’ll try to be there for them.”

Injury updates.Linebackers Shaquil Barrett and Davis Burl are probable for the game. Wide receiver Thomas Coffman and safeties Austin Gray and Conner Roggy are questionable. Offensive lineman Jared Biard and linebacker Kevin Davis had surgery, McElwain said. And defensive lineman John Froland, quarterback Garrett Grayson, linebacker Nick Peralta and linebacker James Skelton are out for the New Mexico game.

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